Mount St. Dominic field hockey gets on the winning side

Mount St. Dominic field hockey has faced some tough teams so far in the early going, but they were able to put it together when they took on Columbia.

The Lions got a goal from one of their seniors, Stella Luna with the help from one of the up-and-coming players, sophomore Somer Haydu. It turned out to be the difference in the 1-0 victory over Columbia on Sept. 8.
Mount St. Dominic junior goalkeeper Finola Giblin made nine saves to preserve the shutout. Giblin was helped out on defense by a pair of seniors in Gabriella Alfaro and Maya Altieri.
At the end of last week, the Lions were 1-2 in the early going of the season. "The difference was we played together and supported each other," said Mount St. Dominic head coach Ewen Barnaby.
The Lions head coach believes the experience from the likes of Luna, Giblin, Alfaro and Altieri will give Mount St. Dominic a boost in their drive to win the Essex/Union Blue Division.
"For the first time in a while, we are returning multiple players with several games experience at the varsity level," said Barnaby. "We should be a force to be reckoned with in this division."
The top player might be Alfaro who can be utilized on both sides of the field. "She is very hard working and is very instrumental on both offense and defense," said Barnaby.
Mount St. Dominic also has some quality juniors in Jillian Diglio and Ava Capalbo who both are weapons at forward and will be pivotal in scoring this season.
In their next contest, Mount St. Dominic was competitive but fell 2-1 to a quality Summit squad on Sept. 10.
The Mount St. Dominic girls soccer team continued to bulldoze through the Essex County teams and were 4-0 as of last week as they continue to pile up points to possibly get the top seed in the upcoming Essex County Tournament.
The Lions took care of a quality team in Newark Academy, 2-0, on Sept. 11 on the road. It was the second clean sheet for Mount St. Dominic as both Lions sophomore goalkeepers Isabella Raju and Kayla Wilson combined for the shutout by making a pair of saves.
Junior Sophia Girodano and sophomore Isabel DeLorenzo scored a goal each in the first half to guide Mount St. Dominic.
Before the win over Newark Academy, Mount St. Dominic had the largest scoring output in the early going with a 9-2 victory at home against Columbia in a Super Essex Conference crossover contest.
Six different Lions scored as Mount St. Dominic put up seven goals in the first half to take a 7-1 advantage.
Senior Gianna Camporeale led the way with a hat trick and an assist in the win over Columbia. Another senior Lena Tusche added a brace (two goals) in the victory. Giordano, senior Valentina Somoza, junior Emma Labrunda and junior Emma Labrunda added a goal each in the win.
In goal sophomore Maisie Skibola picked up the victory while Wilson came in relief in the nets.
The Mount St. Dominic girls volleyball team got the test they were looking for when it comes to Essex County.
The Lions found out what they will have to do to go far in the Essex County Tournament (ECT) when they traveled to undefeated Verona.
Mount St. Dominic would lose in two straight games but almost pushed it to a third deciding games. After coming out flat in the first game, dropping a 25-14 decision, the Lions battled tough, but lost 25-23 on Sept. 8. Mount St. Dominic dropped to 2-1 on the season.
Junior Alexci Green and sophomore Kaylan Bartolozzi led the Mount St. Dominic especially in the second game. The Lions could definitely get a shot at Verona again in the upcoming ECT.
The Mount St. Dominic girls tennis team might be 0-4 as of last week, but they certainly have been snake bitten.
The Lions have lost three of the four matches by a score of 3-2.
The most recent decision came to rival Caldwell in a Super Essex Conference Liberty Division with the 3-2 verdict on Sept. 12
The contest came down to first doubles as Mount St. Dominic's pair of senior Hope O'Connor and junior Sanaya Mistry lost a heartbreaker in tie breakers to Caldwell's Lillie Carey and Sophia Helou, 6-4, 6-7 (7-2) and 1-0 (10-8). Both Lions senior Madison Cronin and junior Michelle Bijak dominated first and second singles against the Chiefs by winning in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
In the season opener for Mount St. Dominic girls tennis team, both Cronin and Bijak showed off their talent right away by winning the first and second singles respectively against West Orange. Cronin took care of West Orange's Olivia Grumet, 6-0, 6-2. And in second singles Bijak drove by West Orange's Asia Neustein, 6-1, 6-0.
But the Lions could not scrap out another win in third singles and the doubles. The Mount St. Dominic second doubles of sophomore Lauren Hladik and sophomore Zerrina Campagna.